Water service fixture



March 3, 1953 Filed May 19, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET l i o l l? I u I Q I l2 :f g- 1.

I F V INVENTORS.

1 i JOSEPH KELsO Mwwocrr EUGENE LEROY BY 2 W 9 63,, /3 Affys.

March 3, 1953 J. K. MURDOCK ET AL WATER SERVICE FIXTURE 2 SHEETSSI-IEET 2 Filed May 19, 1949 0D my w WMO m "In. /TI M fi HE MW m m x m W 5!!!! w X 3 a m g. 4 NE A k 02$; Mm. 4 (W 4 i m 1.4% Q

Patented Mar. 3, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WATER SERVICE FIXTURE Application May 19, 1949, Serial No. 94,136

9 Claims.

This invention relates to non-freezing and pollution-proof hydrants and more particularly relates to a hydrant for supplying potable water in railroad yards or other exposed locations where freezing weather conditions are encountered.

Hydrants used for supplying potable water to railroad cars and the like may be exposed to freezing temperatures during winter weather.

Water mains and valves may be located in the ground below levels to which frost can penetrate, but the water must be led from the buried main to above ground level through a riser exposed to freezing temperatures, and an object of this invention is to provide a hydrant having a storage space below frost line to which water remaining in the riser after each use is automatically transferred and stored without danger of pollution when the hydrant is shut off.

A further object of this invention is to provide a hydrant in which riser water is stored below frost line without danger of pollution.

A further object of this invention is to provide a hydrant having valve mechanism which includes a displacement member or piston that is displaced to make room for riser water when the hydrant is turned ofi.

Briefly, this invention provides a hydrant having a valve mechanism including a cylindrical housing, a valve member therein formed of spaced pistons rigidly connected together, an auxiliary valve in one piston adapted to establish communication between a riser and the space between the pistons, and an inlet adapted to deliver water under pressure to the space between the pistons, the pistons reciprocating as a unit in the cylinder between open position in which water flows from the inlet through the space between the pistons and into the riser, and closed position. When in closed position the riser water is stored in the cylinder in the space below the pistons.

The above and other objects and features will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the following detailed description and the drawings, in which:

Figure l is a view in side elevation, partly broken away in section, showing a hydrant constructed in accordance with an embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in section taken along a line II-II in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an exploded view in side elevation, partly broken away and in section, showing details of a one-way air inlet valve forming a part of the hydrant;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view in vertical section showing details of the valve mechanism; and

Fig. 5 is a view in rear elevation showing details of a cap and crank which form a part of the hydrant.

In the following detailed description and the drawings, like reference characters indicate like parts. i

As shown in Figs. 1 and 4 the hydrant includes a vertically mounted main cylinder It about which an inlet manifold l 2 is secured intermediate the ends thereof embracing the cylinder at a predetermined distance above the bottom thereof, the inlet manifold communicating with the inside of the main cylinder through ports l2. At the bottom of cylinder [0, an outlet manifold l-3 embraces the open lower end of the cylinder and communicates with a riser [4 at the top of which is located a spout It. A flapper type check valve I! at the top of riser I6 is adapted to prevent flow of water from the spout into the riser. As shown in Fig. 4 a hollow displacement piston I3 fits inside the vertical main cylinder 10 and can move between an open position shown in full lines in Fig. 4 and a closed position indicated in dot-dash lines. The displacement piston [8 comprises spaced pistons l9 and H connected by a rigid strut or post 22. In the lower piston 2|, a normally closed poppet valve provides communication when open between the outlet manifold I3 and the space between pistons i9 and 2!.

The upper piston is includes a backing plate 23, a flexible cup-shaped pressure retaining member 24 and a clamping plate 26, the cup 2 1 being held between the backing plate 23 and clamping plate 26, the plates being clamped about the cup 24 with cap screws 21. The clamping plate 25 is provided with spaced lugs 2'! (only one of which is shown) having journals therein for receiving a pin 28 by which a lift rod 29 is secured to the displacement piston IB. The lower piston 2| similarly includes a backing plate 3|, a cupshaped pressure retaining member 32, and a clamping plate 33, the plates being secured together on opposite sides of the cup by cap screws or bolts 34.

A poppet valve 36 forms a part of the lower piston. The cup, backing, and clamping plates of piston 2| are provided with valve ports 31 which provide communication between the outlet manifold and the space between the pistons when the poppet valve is open. The backing plate 3| is formed with a raised annular valve seat 38 on which the poppet valve 36 seats when the valve is closed.

The poppet valve includes a disc 39 having part of the housing is threaded into athreaded flange 52 on the backing plate 3 I, while the upper part of the housing is threaded to receive a tubular member 53. The upper end of the tubular member 53 is threaded or otherwise secured in a socket formed in the upper piston backing plate 23. Thus, the tubular member 53 and valve housing 5! form the rigid strut 22.

The poppet valve is urged towards closed position by compression spring 54, as shown. When the displacement piston is lowered to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 4 the lower stem 42 engages the outlet manifold [25, and the poppet valve is raised to permit flow of water from the inlet manifold through the space between pistons I9 and 2| and the outlet manifold to riser 14.

The pistons and strut, together with the walls of the main cylinder between the pistons constitute, in effect, a hollow cylinder which is slidable up and down within the main cylinder. The volume of this cylinder depends upon the spacing between pistons, the spacing being made such that the volume thereof will approximate the volume of the riser.

When the piston or cylinder valve is in the position shown, poppet valve stem 42 engages the outlet manifold and the valve is lifted. On the other hand, when the piston is raised to a point where the lower stem loses contact with the outlet manifold, the poppet valve closes, but water supply in the inlet manifold is in full communication with the interior of the piston valve through the ports l2, and pressure acts in all directions so that the water supply pressure does not affect lifting or lowering thereof. When the valve is raised to a point where an edge 58 of the lower piston cup is just below inlet ports l2, the water in the riser will follow the lower piston and be stored in the space of the main cylinder below the piston.

The piston is raised and lowered by means of a shaft 51 (Figs. 1 and 5) which is journaled in a cap 58 at the top of the cylinder. The cap 58 closes the top of the cylinder and prevents pollution from above. Shaft 51' has a crank arm 59 keyed thereto. The outer end of the crank arm is pivotally connected to the lift rod 29. As shown in Fig. 1, the lift rod comprises links 61 and 62 having threaded sockets which receive ends of a threaded rod 63, and the effective length of the lift rod may be varied by turning the rod G3 with respect to the links. Shaft 51 is provided with a handle 64 by means of which the shaft may be turned about 180 degrees whereby the piston valve may be moved from fully closed position, shown in dot-dash lines, to fully open position, shown in full lines in Fig. 1.

When the valve is moved from open to closed position, riser water follows the lower piston 2! (Fig. 4) When the valve is, moved from closed to open position, movement of the piston ejects riser water from the main cylinder, and when the valve reaches open position and the poppet valve is opened, water supplied through'the inlet manifold forces the stored water out, through the 4 riser followed by fresh water from the source of supply.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the upper end of the riser may be equipped with check or flapper valve I? which acts as a check valve and prevents return of water from the spout to the riser once the water has left the riser. An air inlet check valve 86 is positioned in an air intake line 67 which communicates with the top of riser l4 and permits air to enter the riser but prevents escape of water through line 5?. The check valve 66 may be generally of the type shown and described in the application Serial No. 787,270 filed November 21, 1947, of Joseph Kelso Murdock, Eugene LeRoy and Harold F. Oswald. The air inlet check valve 66 (Fig. 3) inQludes a disc holder 67, a valve disc 83, and a channeled plug 69. As shown in Fig. 1, the channels in the plug communicate with the air outside the hydrant. An annular seat H is formed on the inner side of the plug, and when water is under pressure in riser :4, the valve disc 68 is held against valve seat ll, but when the hollow displacement piston I8 is raised, the pressure on the valve disc is relieved as the flow of water is halted, and air can enter the top of the riser through the air line 61.

The operation of the hydrant will be clear from the forgoing detailed description and the drawings.

When the hydrant is on, the handle 64 is in the position shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 4, and water can fiow from the inlet manifold 12 through ports l2 into the space between pistons I9 and 2 I, then through the poppet valve 3t and the outlet manifold i3 and thence out through the riser l4 and flapper valve ['5 to the spout [8. When the handle 54 is swung toward the position shown in dot-dash lines in Fig. l, the pistons I9 and 2! are raised and, the poppet valve 36 closes to cut off the flow of water through the hydrant. Then, as the pistons are raised further, the flapper valve ll closes to prevent return of water to the riser from the spout, and air check valve 66 opens to permit air to enter the top of the riser. As the pistons are raised higher, water from the riser follows the lower piston 2% into the lower end of the main cylinder ifs, and the riser water is stored in the main cylinder below frost. level until the, hydrant is ag in turned on. When the handle 64 is moved from the position shown in dot-dash lines to the position shown in full lines, the stored riser water is returned to the riser, and when the poppet valve is opened, the stored water is expelled from the riser through the spout followed by fresh water from the inlet manifold.

As indicated in Fig. 1, the riser l4 and main cylinder l0 may be of any suitable length so that the valve mechanism and water storage space can be located in the ground below levels to which frost can penetrate.

The main cylinder may be of sufficient diameter and the displacement piston l8 may be of sufficient stroke, as indicated atv S in Fig. 4, that substantially all the riser water can be stored in the main cylinder beneath the lower piston 2| and below frost levels.

All water in the hydrant remains sanitary at all times, and since there is no need for a drain connection, there is no danger of pollution.

The construction of, the auxiliary or poppet valve in the lower piston and other details of construction are subject to modification in varipus ways Without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what we claim as novel and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: l. A sanitary and frostproof water hydrant comprising a cylinder adapted for vertical mounting in the ground with the lowermost portion thereof located at a non-freezing depth below the surface, a riser connected to the lower end of said cylinder and having a spout at its upper end above ground level, said cylinder having an inlet in its side at a predetermined distance above the lower end of the cylinder depending upon the volume of said riser, and a valve within said cylinder arranged to effect flow from said inlet to said riser when in one position and to shut off flow when in another position and when in said other position providing storage space in said cylinder for the water in said riser, said valve comprising a pair of spaced pistons disposed in fluid-tight sliding engagement with the inner wall of said cylinder, means rigidly connecting said pistons together, and an auxiliary valve in the lowermost of said pistons, said auxiliary valve having means for opening the same when moved downwardly to a point where the lowermost piston has reached a predetermined position with respect to the bottom of said cylinder, and means for raising and lowering said valve, the inlet to said cylinder being in communication with the interior of said valve whether in open or closed position, the volume of the cylinder below the lowermost piston being sufiicient to accommodate the volume of water in the outlet riser when the valve is in closed position.

2. A non-freezing pollution-proof hydrant which comprises an elongated hollow cylindrical housing having an inlet opening in a side wall spaced from an end and an outlet opening at the end, a riser communicating with said outlet opening, a valve member including a pair of spaced pistons in liquid-tight relation inside the housin means for rigidly maintaining said pistons in spaced relation, an auxiliary valve actuated by movement of said valve member and adapted when open to provide communication between the outletopening and the space between the pistons, the inlet opening being in communication with the space between the pistons at all times, said valve member being slidable lengthwise of said housing toward the outlet opening to an open position in which the auxiliary valve is open and away from the outlet opening to a closed position in which the auxiliary valve is closed, and means for movingthe valve member between open and closed positions, whereby, when the valve member is in open position and water under pressure is introduced through the inlet opening, the water flows through the riser, and when the valve member is in closed position the end of the cylinder forms a reservoir for riser water.

3. A hydrant in accordance with claim 2 characterized by the fact that the riser terminates in a spout at the upper end of the riser and that a check valve is located in the spout and adapted to permit water to leave the riser through the spout and prevent entry of water into the top of the riser.

4. A hydrant in accordance with claim 2 characterized by the fact that the riser terminates in a spout at the upper end of the riser, that a check valve is located in the spout and adapted to permit water to flow from the riser and preing in the ground with the lowermost portion thereof located at a non-freezing depth below the surface, a riser having a spout at its upper end above ground level, said cylinder having an inlet opening in its side spaced above the lower end of the cylinder and an outlet opening at the lower end communicating with the riser, an outlet manifold embracing said outlet opening, the lower end of said riser being attached to said outlet manifold and communicating with the outlet opening through the outlet manifold, a valve member within said cylinder arranged to eiiect flow from said inlet to said riser when in lowered position and to shut ofi flow when in. elevated position and when in elevated position providing storage space in said cylinder for the water in said riser, said valve member comprising a pair of spaced pistons disposed in fluid-tight sliding engagement with the inner wall of said cylinder, means rigidly connecting said pistons together, and an auxiliary valve in the lowermost of said pistons for providing communication between the lower end of said cylinderand the space between the pistons, said auxiliary valve having a valve stem extending through the lowermost piston and adapted to engage the outlet manifold to open the auxiliary valve when the valve member is moved downwardly to a point where the lowermost piston has reached a predetermined posi tion with respect to the bottom of the cylinder, means for closing the auxiliary valve when the valve member is raised above said predetermined position, and means for raising and lowering said valve member, the inlet to said cylinder being in communication with the space between the pistons at all times, the volume of the lower end of the cylinder below the lowermost piston being sufiicient to accommodate the volume of water in the outlet riser above freezing depth when the 'valve member is in raised position.

6. A sanitary and frostprooi water hydrant comprising a cylinder adapted for vertical mounting in the ground with the lowermost portion thereof located at a non-freezing depth below the surface, a riser connected to the lower end of said cylinder and having a spout at its upper end above ground level, said cylinder having an inlet at its side spaced from the lower end of the cylinder, a valve member within said cylinder arranged to effect flow from said inlet to said riser when in lowered position and to shut off fiow when in raised position and when in raised position providing storage space in said cylinder for the water in said riser, said valve member comprising a pair of spaced pistons disposed in fluid-tight sliding engagement with the inner wall of said cylinder, means rigidly connecting said pistons together and an auxiliary valve in the one of said pistons adjacent the outlet, means for opening said auxiliary valve when the valve member is in lowered position, the spacing between the pistons being such that the inlet to said cylinder is in communication with the space between said pistons at all times, and means for raising and lowering said valve member, the volume of the cylinder below the lowermost piston when in elevated position being sufiicient to accommodate the volume of water in the riser above freezing depth.

7. A sanitary and frostproof hydrant which comprises a cylindrical housing having an end adapted for mounting in the ground at a nonireezing depth, a valve member inside said housing, said valve member including a pair-of spaced pistons andmeans for rigidly holding said pistons in spaced relation to form an enclosed space between the pistons, the pistons being in fluidtight sliding engagement with the inner wall of said cylindrical housing, means for supplying water under pressure to the space between the pistons, a riser communicating with said end of said cylinder, an auxiliary valve in the one of said pistons adjacent the riser to provide communication between the riser and the space between the pistons, said valve member being slidable lengthwise of the housing between an open position in which the auxiliary valve containing piston is adjacent the riser end of the cylinder anda closed position in which the auxiliary valve containing piston is spaced from the riser end oi the cylinder a predetermined'distance, and means for opening the auxiliary valve when the valve member is moved to the position in which the auxiliary valve containing piston is adjacent the riser end of the cylinder and for closing the auxiliary valve when the valve member is moved to closed position, the space between the auxiliary valve containing piston and the riser end of the cylinder forming a storage space for riser water when the valve member is in closed position.

8. A non-freezing, pollution-proof hydrant which comprises an elongated hollow cylindrical housing having an inlet opening in a side wall spaced from one end and an outlet opening at the end, a riser communicating with said outlet opening, a valve member including a pair of spaced pistons in liquid-tight sliding engagement with the inner wall of the hOllSiIlg, means for rigidly maintaining said pistons in spaced relation, an auxiliary valve actuated by movement of. said valve member and adapted when open to provide communication between the outlet opening and the space between the pistons, the inlet opening being in communication with the space between the pistons when the valve member is in open position, saidvalve member being slidable lengthwise of said housing toward the outlet opening to an open position in which the auxiliary valve is open and away from the outlet opening to a closed position in which the auxiliary valve is closed, and means for moving the. valve member between open and closed positions, whereby, when the valve member is in open position and water under pressure is introduced through vthe inlet opening, the water flows through the riser, and when the valve member is in closed position, the end of the cylinder forms a reservoir for riser water.

9. A non-freezin and pollution-proof hydrant which comprises an elongated, hollow, cylindrical housing having an inlet opening in a side wall spaced from one end and an outlet opening at said end, a riser communicating with said outlet opening, a valve member comprising a pair of spaced pistons in fluid-tight sliding engagement with the inner wall of said housing, means rigidly connecting said pistons together, an auxiliary valve in the one of said pistons adjacent the outlet, said auxiliary valve when open, being adapted to provide communication between the outlet opening and the space between the pistons, the inlet opening bein in communication with the space between the pistons at all times, means for opening said auxiliary valve when the pistons have been moved to a position at which the pis ton having the auxiliary valve therein is at the outlet of said cylindrical housing, means for closing said auxiliary valve when the pistons are moved a predetermined distance away from said outlet to a closed position, and means for moving the valve member lengthwise of the housing between open and closed positions, whereby, when the valve member is in open position and water iu'ider pressure is introduced through the inlet opening, the water flows through the riser and when the valve is in closed position, the end of the cylindrical housing forms a reservoir for riser water.

JOSEPH KELSO MURDOCK. EUGENE LE ROY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the is of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 88,5452 Cabell Apr. 6, 1869 150,296 Davis Apr, 28, 1874 313,265 Warner Mar. 3, 1885 652,176 Gabel June 19, 1900 900,818 Albright Oct. 13, 1908 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 9,043 Germany of 1902 10,134 Denmark of 1906 236,645 Germany of 1911 

